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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 
DIVISION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS 



HEAD MASTER'S MANUAL 



A MANUAL 

FOR THE 

HEAD MASTERS 

OF 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 
SECONDARY SCHCX)LS 



Department of Public Instruction 

Concord 

19f6 



DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 
DIVISION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS 



HEAD MASTER'S MANUAL 



A MANUAL 

FOR THE 

HEAD MASTERS 

OF 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 
SECONDARY SCHOOLS 



Department of Public Instruction 

Concord 

1916 



/ 9/6 



CONCORD. N. H. 

Ira C. Evans Co., Printers 

1916 

D. Of D. 

JUN 18 1916 






CONTENTS. 



^ PAGE. 

Definitions 5 

The Administration of Secondary Schools 7 

The Government 7 

The Supervision 7 

The Organization 7 

The Instruction 8 

The Head Master as an Organizer 8 

He Should Unify His School 8 

He Should Know His Pupils 8 

He Should Make Effective His Authority. . 9 
He Should Be Efficient in the Management 

of His Office 9 

The Head Master as an Administrator 10 

The School Board 10 

The Department of Public Instruction 10 

The Secondary Schools and the State Department 10 

Institute Service 11 

Departmental Publications 11 

Inspection of Work 12 

Record of Graduates 12 

Reports 12 

Conditions of Approval 13 

The Approved Program 13 

Following the Program 13 

Constitutional History 14 

Extra Courses 14 

The School Equipment 15 

Admission, Promotion and Discharge of Pupils. 15 

Admission of Pupils 15 

Tuition Pupils 16 

Promotion and Class Standing 17 

Special Pupils 17 

Reports of Discharges 18 

Graduation 18 

Official Records 19 

Records 19 

The Register 20 

Attendance 20 

Certain Laws Concerning Schools and Teachers 21 

Code of Professional Ethics 22 



HEAD MASTER'S MANUAL. 



DEFINITIONS. 

State Program. The pamphlet entitled "Program 
of Studies for the Secondary Schools of New Hamp- 
shire." This standard program provides a guide for 
administrative officers and is suggestive rafher than 
mandatory. 

Approved Program. The whole outline of work 
contemplated by an institution. It should be called 
The Program of the school, and not The Course of 
Study or the Curricula. 

CurHculum. A portion or division of the program 
describing a particular line of work to be followed 
throughout the number of years that the program 
contemplates. 

Subject. A separate branch of learning as Latin, 
science or history. 

Course. The work in a particular subject within 
a single year. 

Study. A division of a subject or of a course, as 
logarithms or Latin prose composition. 

Unit. A single course pursued not less than four 
periods a week for one school year of not less than 
thirty-six weeks; in certain cases a unit may be 
made up of two consecutive courses in allied sub- 
jects, each course being one semester in length. 

Semester. One half year of school work. 

Time-table. The daily program or order of exer- 
cises of the school. 

Period. A regular sub-division of the time-table. 

Pupil. A general term for all persons enrolled as 
members in elementary or secondary schools. 



6 

Student. A general term for all persons enrolled 
as members in colleges, normal schools, or other post- 
secondary institutions. 

Mark. A general term to denote any numeral, 
letter or other character used in records, as "T," for 
tardy; "E," for excellent; "74," for 74%, etc. 

Passing Mark. The minimum standard for pass- 
ing work. Usually 70. 

Rank. Any mark given in percentage form to de- 
note the relative quality of the work done. 

Grades. Conventional marks used in some schools 
to indicate groups of excellence, as "A," "B," "C," 
"D," and "E." 

Class Position. The position held by a pupil when 
the quality of his work is compared with that of the 
others in his class or grade. This may be expressed 
as a fraction or as a relative term in a series. That 
is, the pupil may be in the first fifth of the class, or 
he may be the third in a class of twenty. 

Standing. Grade or class enrollment, as 10th 
grade or sophomore class. Class standing may be 
full or partial. 

Class. The group of pupils in the same year of 
the school program, commonly called freshman, soph- 
omore, junior and senior class, or 1st, 2d, 3d and 4th 
year, or 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade. 

Register. The official record of the membership 
and attendance of the school. A legal document. 

Pupils' Records. The official statement of the 
ranks and class standing of the pupils. 

Work Record. The official statement of the work 
completed in each course. 

Report Cards. The statement of marks and class 
standing periodically furnished to parents and 
guardians. 

Standards. The minimum requirements of excel- 
lency in the various courses upon which approval is 
given by the state department of public instruction. 



THE ADMINISTRATION OF SECONDARY 
SCHOOLS. 

The administration of the work in public second- 
ary schools is a task in which school board, super- 
intendent, head master and teachers have definite 
parts; for administration includes the government, 
the supervision, the organization of the schools and 
the instruction of the pupils. 

The Government. In the administration of the 
schools the school board is the governing body. It 
is subject only to the instructions and expressed 
wishes of the electorate, and to the laws of the state. 
It is a legislative and judicial body, but not an ex- 
ecutive one. It gives general directions and rules 
for the administration of the schools and it passes 
judgment on the results obtained. No member may 
assume the power of supervision, organization or 
instruction except by vote of the board. 

The Supervision. In the administration of the 
schools the superintendent is the supervisory and 
executive officer. As the agent of the school board 
he governs the schools, makes concrete the general 
directions given him and secures the enforcment of 
the school laws of the state and the rules and regu- 
lations of the school board. The supervision of the 
schools is his particular duty. He must outline the 
material for instruction, direct the methods of teach- 
ing and judge both the efficiency of the teaching and 
the quality of the work done. He must also organ- 
ize his school system by keeping its purposes and 
ideals before teachers, pupils and citizens — so as to 
harm.onize all interests and unify the aims of the 
schools. He must instruct his teachers in the psy- 
chology and pedagogy of their work and see that 
they are familiar with the advances made in the sci- 
ence and practice of teaching. 

The Organization. In the administration of the 
schools, the head master's chief work is organization. 
Under the general direction of the school board as 
interpreted by the superintendent, he governs his 
school and aids the superintendent in the supervision 



8 

of its work. He may also be a teacher of classes, 
but his primary dut^ is the organization of his 
school. Though the superintendent may at any time 
review the details of organization, it should seldom 
be necessary for him to do so. He should rather 
present the general scheme so that the head master 
be given great freedom in working out the details, 
as he is to be held strictly rsponsible for results. 

The Instruction. In the administration of the 
schools, the teacher's chief duty is instruction. She 
must govern her room, supervise the work of her 
pupils, and organize her classes, but she is primarily 
a teacher. 



THE HEAD MASTER AS AN ORGANIZER. 

A school is not a collection of classes, but an or- 
ganization where all are working with the same 
ideals for a common end and the head master must 
organize it for this purpose. 

He should unify his school. By the general exer- 
cises of the school, by its organizations for special 
interests, by its public exhibitions, the head master 
makes of his school a social unit. He should regard 
it as one of his peculiar duties to so form and guide 
the various clubs, teams and other interests of his 
school that they become powerful factors in its life, 
and though he reserves to himself the control, he 
should so divide the work that each assistant teacher 
has some responsible part in the social organization 
of the school. 

He should knoiu his pupils. The head master must 
deal with parents, teachers and pupils and unite 
their di^ erse interests so that all may v/ork in unison 
in their ",ommon task. By patient study he must 
learn tKj characteristics of his pupils, their ideals 
and ambitions and the conditions of their home life, 
and he must do this through a real interest in all 
that concerns them. An interested teacher can do 
more than a truant officer to keep pupils in school. 



He should make effective his authority. The head 
master as disciplinary head of the school is to be 
held responsible for the conduct of the pupils in the 
building and basements, on the play-ground and on 
the streets as they come to the school and return to 
their homes. He must strengthen the control of his 
assistant teachers and lead them into better methods 
of solving school difficulties, while he is constantly 
alert that full justice be done to pupil as well as to 
teacher. 

He should he efficient in the management of his 
office. His records should be kept with system and 
dispatch, he should not permit desultory attendance, 
he should insist that pupils do reasonable work, that 
they follow the prescribed curricula and that they 
promptly make up deficient work. He should pre- 
pare an economical time-table and plan the work of 
the school to avoid confusion and waste of time and 
effort. 

In particular the marking system and the recorded 
ranks are in his charge. He should provide that 
the school has a marking system thoroughly under- 
stood by all teachers and uniformly administered by 
them. He should check any individual modifications 
of this system and refuse to record ranks that ex- 
press the carelessness or mental vagaries of the 
teachers. It must be emphasized that no work is 
to be recorded except it be a judicial statement of 
fact, and when recorded it must stand as a perma- 
nent school record. The head master must protect 
pupil and school from recorded ranks too high or 
too low for complete justice. 

The head master should frequently review the 
ranks with his staff and with individual teachers. 
He should show them that when any considerable 
part of the class is failing, it is probably due to 
poor teaching, that either the ranks are inaccurate 
or the work as presented is too hard for the class. 
He should show that when a large number of ranks 
are barely passing or are nearly perfect that the 
teacher is not marking with accuracy or judgment. 

Probably it is seldom wise for the teacher to 
record a mark at the close of each recitation. She 



10 

should, however, by careful consideration of the pu- 
pil's participatory attention and effective recitations, 
determine his general class position. She then 
should frequently by carefully marked informal and 
formal tests revise her conception of the work done. 
She should be alert to see and register any improve- 
ment or its reverse in the work of her pupils. 



THE HEAD MASTER AS AN ADMINISTRATOR. 

The School Board. The head master is responsi- 
ble to the school board, through its executive, the 
superintendent of schools. He should familiarize 
himself with all general rules and regulations of the 
board and follow the directions and suggestions of 
the superintendent. 

The Department of Public Instruction. By the 
laws of the state, secondary schools must be ap- 
proved by the state superintendent of public instruc- 
tion. 

"By the term 'high school' or 'academy,' as used 
in this act, is understood a school having at least 
one course of not less than four years, properly 
equipped and teaching such subjects as are required 
for admission to college, technical school, and normal 
school, including reasonable instruction in the con- 
stitution of the United States and in the constitu- 
tion of New Hampshire, such high school or academy 
to be approved by the state superintendent of pub- 
lic instruction as complying Vv^ith the requirements 
of this section." 



THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THE STATE 
DEPARTMENT. 

In accordance with the provisions of the law, the 
department of public instruction has an intimate 
connection with the secondary schools of the^state. 
This relationship is expressed in several forms. 



11 

Institute Service. The department holds each 
year in the several counties of the state teachers' 
institutes with programs designed to bring to the 
teachers of secondary schools the results of the mos^ 
recent researches in the pedagogy and psychology 
of the high school. In addition it holds at a central 
point, in the summer, an institute of a week's dura- 
tion, and a shorter one in the winter for the study 
and discussion of the problems of education. The 
department holds that presence at and participation 
in the deliberations of these institutes and confer- 
ences should be regarded as a professional oppor- 
tunity by the school men of the state. 

In these institutes the department has occasion to 
set forth views as to the best methods of teaching in 
secondary schools as well as other schools, but it 
should be understood that such expressions are 
merely suggestions. Schools are judged in terms of 
the efficiency of the work done on their own concep- 
tion of methods, not upon what the departm.ent con- 
siders the best methods. 

Departmeyital Publications. The most important 
of these in this connection is the Standard Program 
of Studies for the Secondary Schools of New Hamp- 
shire. The program has been supplemented by many 
circulars, the substance of which is now gathered 
for the convenience of head masters into this 
manual. 

The Standard Program should be in the hands of 
every teacher for constant reference. It is, however, 
suggestive rather than prescribed, and other outlines 
if of equal merit may be used. This document con- 
tains the recommendations of the Educational Coun- 
cil of New Hampshire and has incorporated in its 
revisions the accumulated experience of the state 
and the suggestions of many teachers. For many 
of the courses institute circulars supplement the out- 
line given in the program. The separate chapters 
contain suggestions concerning the pedagogy of the 
course under suggestion, and also state the standards 
of work required in all approved schools. These 
standards give the amount of work that has been 
found entirely possible to accomplish in well-con- 



12 

ducted New Hampshyre schools. Courses will be re- 
garded as deficient when they do not meet these 
standards. It is important that head masters see 
that their teachers understand these standards and 
meet them in the regular work of their classes. 

Inspection of Work. Through its deputies the de- 
partment aims to inspect the work of all secondary 
schools each year. In practice this will probably 
mean that the stronger schools which have able 
superintendents and experienced head masters will 
be thoroughly inspected only occasionally, while the 
more needy schools will be frequently inspected. In 
particular this personal inspection is designed to 
show the physical surroundings and the spirit of the 
school, the condition of its records and the quality 
of its instruction. 

The instruction is judged by the proportion of 
pupils whose attention is vital and participatory 
and by the proportion of pupils who make an ade- 
quate recitation. 

The department strongly recommends to the at- 
tention of head masters and other teachers Chapter 
XXII of the Standard Program, entitled "The 
Teaching of Any Topic." It does not, of course, pre- 
scribe that method as any suitable technic may be 
used as long as it measures up to the standards just 
given, and results in interested behavior and ma- 
tured reactions. The quality of the instruction is 
determined not by the manner and method of the 
teacher but by the results attained. 

Record of Graduates. Secondary schools are ap- 
proved as "teaching such subjects as are required 
for admission to college, technical school and normal 
school." In determining whether schools are deserv- 
ing of approval, the ranks attained by the graduates 
who enter college and normal school will be carefully 
weighed. 

Reports. Much of the work of the schools, espe- 
cially on the quantitative side, is judged by reports 
made from time to time by the secondary schools to 
the department. These are the regular reports re- 
quired during the year. 



13 

Required at the opening of the school in September. 

1. School calendar. 

2. List of teachers. This to be reviewed each 

term if changes occur. 

3. Registration of new teachers. 

4. Report of admission of tuition pupils. 

5. Report of summer discharges. 

Required at close of school in June. 

1. Report of discharges during the year. 

2. Records of graduates. 

3. The annual statistical report. 

4. Report of tuition pupils. 

5. The annual work reports. 



CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL. 

The Approved Prograyn. This document should 
always be kept in the head master's desk or, better, 
posted in a conspicuous place in the schoolroom. It 
must be available for inspection at all times. It 
consists of the different curricula, with the constit- 
uent courses, offered by the school. It contains a 
record of its adoption by the school board and its 
approval by the superintendent of public instruc- 
tion. It cannot then be changed or modified by su- 
perintendent or head master, and if changes are 
made by the school board the program must be 
reapproved by the state department. It must con- 
sist of fourteen or more units, not including review 
courses. The term of approval expires annually on 
July 15, and the approval of a school will be revoked 
at any time if it appears that it does not meet the 
legal requirements for approval. 

Follo2vmg the Program. 

1. Changes of pupils from one curriculum to 
another. Changes should be seldom made and al- 



14 

ways upon request of parents and with the consent 
of the head master. The cause should be recorded. 
Changes by pupils of low ranks, changes seemingly 
to avoid difficult courses, and changes which leave 
incomplete those studies which require more than 
one year, as foreign languages, are to be regarded 
with suspicion. Unless there is a creditable cause 
for a change, the pupil who changes should make up 
whatever courses the new curriculum contains that 
he did not pass in the old. 

2. Substituting courses from other curricula. 
The same comment applies as above. A definite pur- 
pose for the change must appear, such as to meet a 
specific college requirement, and the substituted 
course must be of at least equal educational value. 

3. Deficiencies. All courses failed should be 
made up by examination or by repeating the course. 
The pupil should make up deficiencies of the year 
before when school opens in September, or not later 
than the middle of the fall term. If he fails to do 
this, he should be demoted to the deficient course. 
An advanced course in any subject cannot be taken 
before the preliminary course is passed. 

Constitutional History. A statutory requirement 
calls for suitable instruction in the constitutions of 
the United States and New Hampshire. The pur- 
pose of this statute is clearly to provide for ade- 
quate instruction in, and a proper understanding of, 
American political institutions. This year's work 
must be a complete survey of the constitutional his- 
tory of the American people. The outline in the 
state program, or any equivalent one, may be used. 
No pupil may graduate without completing this 
course. 

Extra Courses. Pupils should be allowed to take 
extra courses only when their capacity and indus- 
try make possible such work, or when there seems 
to be particular and urgent need. The consent of 
the parent should always be obtained. The regular 
school work is in m.ost cases all that the pupil is able 
to carry and though there are some pupils who 



15 

might properly take an additional subject, it is evi- 
dent that if a considerable number take five courses 
the quality of the regular four is diminished for all 
pupils. The desire of the pupil of ordinary ability 
to still farther scatter his work is to be discouraged. 

The School Equipment. The teaching staff must 
be sufficient, so that no teacher may be required to 
teach over eight periods a day. 

Teachers in approved secondary schools must hold 
the bachelor's degree, or for the purpose of the 
position the full equivalent. 

The school must be suitably equipped for the 
courses offered. This equipment will include text- 
books, reference books, maps and laboratory equip- 
ment for the sciences. 

The school building and its surroundings must be 
in a suitable and sanitary condition. 

A wholesome state of good order must prevail. 



ADMISSION, PROMOTION AND DISCHARGE 
OF PUPILS. 

Admission of Pupils. A pupil once admitted to a 
secondary school is a member till he is discharged, 
j and graduation is a form of discharge. Admission 
'may be as follows: 

1. From the elementary schools of the same dis- 
trict by some regular system approved by the school 
board and satisfactory to the department. 

2. From other New Hampshire elementary 
schools by the certificate of their district or city 
superintendent, or where there is no superintendent 
by examination as the regulations of the department 
direct. It is to be noted that if the candidate is 
under fifteen years he is not to be examined until 
his teacher certifies that he has completed the studies 
of the elementary school. 

3. From the elementary schools of other states, 
by the certificate of the superintendent of the school 



16 

where the pupil studied, by diploma or other proof 
of the completion of the work in an elementary 
school or by a certificate of promotion to a secondary 
school. But certificates are recognized by the de- 
partment only when originating in school systems 
which are under professional supervision, or in sec- 
ondary schools approved by a state education ofRce. 
In all cases, the statement of the pupil or his parent 
must be substantiated by satisfactory documentary 
proof. 

4. To advanced standing, either by examination 
or by certificate of work completed in an approved 
high school and signed by the head master or prin- 
cipal of that school. 

Tuition Pupils. Tuition pupils may be admitted I 
by certificate as stated in the section concerning ad- 
mission, or by examination. The examination must 
include at least arithmetic, spelling, composition, 
grammar, geography and United States history, and 
before the candidate is examined, if he is under fif- 
teen, he is to present a certificate from his teacher 
that he has completed the common school course. 
The school may, of course, include such other sub- 
jects as the management may deem expedient. The 
candidate must pass these examinations with an 
average of lOVc with not less than 50% in any sub 
ject and a report of all examinations, whether sue 
cessful or not, is to be sent to this department. Ex- 
aminations must be under the direct supervision of 
the school authorities. 

Tuition is due to the school from the parents and 
they may recover from the town where they live 
under certain conditions, but for convenience the bill 
for tuition is usually sent directly to the town. 

At the time of the examination the examiner 
should determine by whom the tuition is to be paid, 
and if from the town should avoid controversy by 
notifying its school board of the admission. The 
examination given and the papers received should 
be preserved for a year. They may be called for at 
any inspection and will be reviewed when a com- 



l[ 



17 

plaint is preferred against a school alleging that it 
is admitting unprepared pupils. 

Promotion and Class Standing. 

At the beginning of the year class standing is de- 
termined as follows: 

1. A pupil is in full standing in any class when 
he has completed all of the work of the preceding 
class or grade. 

2. A pupil is in partial standing in any class if 
he has completed all but one unit or less of the work 
of the preceding class. 

3. A pupil in either of the above groups has class 
standing except that to be a member of the grad- 
uating class he must be taking all the courses needed 
to complete the work of his curriculum. 

4. A pupil deficient more than one unit has full 
standing in the preceding class. 

During the year a pupil may by completing de- 
ficient work be promoted to a higher class, may 
acquire full standing in his class, or by failures he 
may be degraded from full standing, or demoted to 
the class below. A pupil in partial standing is "con- 
ditioned" by the amount of work that separates him 
from full standing. 

Special Pupils. All pupils are classified as regu- 
lar pupils except the following: 

1. A special pupil may be a graduate who has 
returned for special work. Such a pupil should be 
readmitted as a new pupil and discharged when the 
special work is completed. 

2. A special pupil may be a pupil who is allowed 
by the school authorities to take a special course in 
school to meet some definite plan. 

3^. A special pupil may be a pupil of inferior 
scholastic abilities, but of faithful endeavor, who is 



18 

allowed to take such studies as his capacity permits/ 
A special pupil ha*s no class standing and is not 
graduated. The number of special pupils in a school 
should always be small. 

Reports of Discharges. At the opening of the 
school in September a report should be made to this 
department of all pupils, not graduates, who have 
left school during the summer vacation. This in- 
cludes those who were promoted to the school from 
the elementary schools, but have not entered. It is 
clearly the duty of the head master, either person- 
ally or through a deputy, to ascertain the causes and 
to reduce the number of failures to enter the high 
school. There must be no break in the responsibility 
that holds our pupils to school attendance. At the 
close of school in June a similar report should be 
made of all who have been discharged, without grad- 
uation, during the year. 

These reports will give the name, the date of dis- 
charge, the class, the curriculum, the courses in 
which the pupil was deficient, and the cause of the 
discharge. The causes are "M," moved from town; 
"D," death; "I," ill health; "C," change in family 
conditions making absence necessary; *'S," selfish- 
ness or short-sightedness of parents; "W," weak- 
ness or indifference of pupil. Discharged pupils are 
not to be marked *'!" unless the head master is satis- 
fied that the pupil is too ill properly to attend school ; 
nor "C" unless there has been some change in cir- 
cumstances since last term or last month which 
makes it impossible for the pupil to attend now. 
"S" means that the pupil leaves primarily to please 
his parents, and "W" primarily to please himself. 

A school which cannot hold its pupils shows ele- 
ments of weakness, and a head master has no moje 
important duty than building up the membership of 
his school. 

Graduation. A pupil is graduated when he has 
completed one of the curricula in the school's ap- 
proved program. There can be no "condition" to 
graduation. 



19 

At the close of the school year a report is to be 
made to this department. This will contain the 
names of the graduates, the courses that they have 
completed during each year and the average rank 
obtained in each course for each semester or term. 
These reports v/ill be a permanent record of the 
graduates of New Hampshire secondary schools. 



OFFICIAL RECORDS. 

Records. The records of the standing of the pu- 
pils must be kept accurately and in permanent form. 
The record should contain at least the following 
data: The pupil's name and that of his parent, his 
residence and the date of his birth, the date and 
manner of admission, the curriculum chosen and 
the courses followed, v/ith the rank attained in each 
recorded by semesters or terms. The department 
will insist that the school records, and the teachers' 
original records from which this official record is 
obtained, be kept in ranks, that is, expressed in a 
percentage notation. The school may, of course, 
use any conventional marks in its reports to parents 
and pupils. It should also give the yearly attend- 
ance, and the date and manner of discharge, together 
with an explanation of the marking system and pass- 
ing mark if it is unusual. The Educational Council 
is engaged upon the study of marking systems in 
use and will recommend a uniform system. Specific 
terms, such as Cicero and algebra, should be used in 
place of Latin and mathematics where confusion 
might arise, unless the order of the courses is the 
same as that given in the state program. When 
deficiencies are made up they should be clearly re- 
corded and any irregularity in the program of the 
pupil should be explained. When pupils are admit- 
ted to advanced standing the record of the work 
completed in the former school should be entered, 
showing the courses completed and the credit given. 

The department further suggests that secondary 



20 

schools keep a record -of their graduates, with yearly 
revision. This record should record further scholas- 
tic progress, particularly college entrance and grad- 
uation and such other vital facts in the lives of the 
graduates of the school as may be obtainable. 

The register. It is required that the register be 
neatly and accurately kept. All blanks should be 
filled, the entries should be made in ink and non- 
membership lines neatly drawn. 

Attcndayice. A school which does not appeal 
strongly enough to its pupils so that they attend 
promptly and regularly is not deserving of approval. 
The keeping of an exact record of attendance is a 
legal requirement. 

1. Absences. All absences are to be recorded at 
the beginning of each session. 

2. Dismissals. A pupil should not be dismissed 
for any part of a session, except when the need 
arises during school hours, unless by the parent's 
written request presented and granted before the 
opening of the session. 

3. Tardinesses. Any pupil not present at the 
opening of a session, and not previously excused, is 
tardy and it does not matter whether the tardiness 
is for a minute or for several hours. Pupils are not 
to be recorded tardy when the tardiness is caused by 
the unusual delay of a public conveyance, nor when 
a pupil for special reason has been permitted to 
come regularly at a later time by vote of the school 
board. 

A teacher is under no obligation to accept an ex- 
cuse or grant a request for dismissal if the cause is 
not justified. 



21 



CERTAIN LAWS CONCERNING SCHOOLS AND 
TEACHERS. 

1. Teachers may be dismissed for cause, but must 
first have a full and fair hearing. P. S. 92:3, 
amended by 59, Laws 1905. 

2. Each schoolhouse must be furnished with a 
suitable flag and this, when not otherwise displayed, 
must be conspicuously placed in the principal room 
of the school. P. S., 92: 8, amended by 50, Laws of 
1895, and 39, Laws of 1903. 

3. In each school there must be exercises of a 
patriotic nature during some session of the week of 
Memorial Day. 14, Laws of 1897. This applies to 
high as well as other schools. 

4. School doors must open outward, and there 
must be fire escapes on all school buildings of three 
or m.ore stories. 108, Laws of 1909, and 123:1, Laws 
of 1915. 

5. Schools must be in a proper sanitary condi- 
tion. 35:1, Laws of 1915. If the local officials will 
not act it is the duty of the teacher to complain to 
the State Board of Health. 

6. The principal of all incorporated educational 
institutions must send its annual catalog to the New 
Hampshire Genealogical Society, Dover, N. H. 40, 
Laws of 1907. 

7. In all towns, pupils, even though they have 
completed the work of the elementary schools, must 
continue in school until they are fourteen, and when 
the district has adopted a by-law making the school 
age six to sixteen, they must attend until they are 
sixteen unless they have secured an employment cer- 
tificate. P. S., 93 : 6. The head master should see 
that such pupils continue in school. 



CODE OF PR^OFESSIONAL ETHICS. 

Adopted by the New Hampshire State Teachers' 
Association, October 22, 1915. 

i. definition of terms. 

It is desirable that there should be a general pro- 
fessional agreement as to the designations to be 
given to members of the teaching profession in the 
state according to the functions which they perform. 
It is not well that there should be no fixed designa- 
tions, with the result that the general public uses 
such terms as "professor" indiscriminately. The 
following designations are, therefore, recommended 
and it is hoped that different official bodies, qualified 
to do so, will eventually give them their sanction: 

1. The title of the officer having charge of gen- 
eral education in the state of New Hampshire should 
be the Commissioner of Education. 

2. His deputies should be called Deputy Commis- 
sioners of Education. 

3. The head of the New Hampshire College of 
Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts should be called 
President and persons holding chairs in the institu- 
tion should be called Professors according to such 
grades as the college authorities from time to time 
specify. 

4. The title of the heads of the Normal Schools 
should be Director. 

5. A professional educator engaged in the super- 
vision of local school systems should be called Super- 
intendent, and his assistant in the work of general 
supervision should be called Assistant Superintend- 
ent. 

6. A person whose sole duty is directing both 
teachers and pupils in a special department of school 
work should be called a Supervisor. 

7. The head of an approved secondary school of 
the first class should be called Head Master. 



23 

8. A school officer having the supervision and 
control of teachers and pupils in an elementary 
school or of a secondary school below the grade of 
first class should be called Principal. 

9. The teaching force of the New Hampshire 
State College and the Normal Schools should be 
called the Faculty, and that of secondary schools 
should be called the Staff. 

10. The title of Professor should be reserved for 
teachers holding chairs in colleges and graduate 
schools. 

II. RESPONSIBILITY. 

1. The proper conception of education being to 
develop all the powers and faculties of body, mind 
and spirit, with which a child has been endowed by 
the Creator, the first duty of teachers is to safeguard 
and bring to the highest state of perfection the phy- 
sical, intellectual, aesthetic, moral, social, and so far 
as possible, the spiritual endowment of their pupils. 

2. As the teacher must necessarily stand in loco 
parentis, in rather large measure, the duty of teach- 
ers to parents is to seek their acquaintance, to co- 
operate with them in the education of their children, 
to become informed of the home life and conditions 
by friendly visits, and in all other respects to mani- 
fest an interest in the individual child. Above all, a 
teacher should be frank, as well as sympathetic, in 
dealing with parents. Criticism by parents should 
be received with courtesy and patience. 

3. The duty of teachers to the community is to 
be loyal to those in authority over them. In case of 
a conflict of educational ideals, between teachers and 
trustees or school boards, while they should recog- 
nize the fact that the school authorities must direct 
the general policy of the school, it is the duty of 
teachers to be loyal to their professional ideals, to 
protest against any violation of professional ethics, 
and in extreme cases to resign, stating their reasons 
to the community. 



While never exploiting their position, teachers 
should always maintstin a progressive conservatism 
of thought and action, dignity of character, honesty 
of purpose, and should take an unqualified stand for 
the best in education and in social life. 

III. THE DUTIES OF TEACHERS TO FELLOW TEACHERS 
AND TO THE PROFESSION AT LARGE. 

1. It is the duty of every teacher to regard every 
other teacher as a fellow craftsman and as entitled 
to all the rights, courtesies, and emoluments that 
usually obtain in other professions, with recognized 

standards. 

2. It is unprofessional for teachers to criticise 
co-laborers and predecessors, as such procedure tends 
to weaken the confidence in which the work of our 
profession is held by the community. 

3. All teachers should actively affiliate themselves 
with professional organizations and should acquaint 
themselves with the proceedings of the State Asso- 
ciation and should interest themselves in its activ- 
ities. 

4. It is an essential part of the ethics of the pro- 
fession that teachers should constantly familiarize 
themselves with its recognized and authoritative lit- 
erature. 

5. Since they are rightly regarded as examples 
to pupils, teachers should always so conduct them- 
selves that no just reproach may be brought against 
them. Where liberty of conscience is not concerned, 
they should stand ready to make personal sacrifice, 
because of the prejudices of the community in which 
they live. 

6. It is unprofessional for teachers to tutor pu- 
pils of their own classes for remuneration. 

7. It is unprofessional for teachers to promote 
the interests of canvassers and other salesmen, 
either directly or indirectly, by writing testimonials 
of their wares. 



25 

8. It is unprofessional for any teacher to lend 
himself to any scheme of self advertising. 

9. It is unprofessional to call for or to allow the 
use of substitutes, except for serious illness or for 
other grave reasons. 

10. A clear understanding of the law of contracts 
is incumbent upon all teachers. Since teachers 
should scrupulously keep whatever agreement they 
make, they should refuse to sign a contract unjust 
and humiliating in form. 

11. It is unprofessional for teachers to resign 
during the period for which they have been engaged. 
They may rightly as-k to be released, by giving no- 
tice of not less than four weeks, but must in case of 
refusal abide by their contract. 

12. It is unprofessional for a teacher to underbid 
a rival in order to secure a position. 

13. It is unprofessional for a superintendent or 
other school officer to offer a position to a teacher 
without first conferring with the superintendent un- 
der whom that teacher is employed. 

14. It is highly unprofessional for a superintend- 
ent or other school officer to visit, with a view to em- 
ploying, a candidate at work, without the permission 
of his or her superintendent. When visiting schools, 
the visitor should never disarrange the work of the 
day. 

15. It is unprofessional for superintendents and 
teachers, in their relations with publishing or supply 
houses, their agents or salesmen, to give just grounds 
for the suspicion of obligations tending to influence 
the purchase or adoption of books or supplies in 
favor of any particular agent or firm. 

16. The indiscriminate writing of general recom- 
mendations for pupils or teachers is unprofessional. 

17. Teachers should at all times be ready to assist 
one another by giving information, counsel, and ad- 
vice, and by such services and acts as teachers can 



26 

perform without detriment to themselves or their 
work. Such reasonable service should be regarded 
as a professional duty for which remuneration be- 
yond actual expenses should not be accepted. 

IV. TEACHERS AS CITIZENS. 

1. It is incumbent on teachers loyally to acknowl- 
edge all the duties and obligations of citizenship, and 
to discharge them both in letter and in spirit. 

2. Because of their peculiar position, teachers 
should especially regard themselves as guardians and 
promoters of the physical, moral, social, and spiritual 
welfare of the community in which they live. 

3. Teachers are and should be the servants of the 
people, without regard to distinctions of political 
party, religious faith, or other matters which are 
brought into issue and upon which individuals hon- 
estly disagree. Teachers are fully entitled to lib- 
erty of conscience, but it is unprofessional for them 
to become partisans upon issues which divide the 
community. 



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